Grab My Hand And Don't Ever Drop It
by karevsprincess
Summary: Spencer makes a confession to Toby that could change everything for better or for worse and causes them to think about how they want to start their future. One-shot. Spencer, Toby and spousal privilege.


**A/N**: I've heard a wide variety of predictions about what people are expecting for Spoby this season – some people are convinced they're going to break up, while others are completely at the other end of the spectrum and think they're going to run away together and get married. I wouldn't say this is my prediction, more of just a thought that came to me. I was watching the _Gossip Girl_ series finale for the hundredth time and in it, in case you don't know, Chuck and Blair decide to get married for spousal privilege after they witness Chuck's father fall to his death. It got me to wondering if Spoby could possibly do something like that and I decided to write it. Hope you enjoy! I've never published any Spoby before, so please give me your honest feedback. Hopefully I did these characters justice.

Title and lyrics come from "I Know Places," by Taylor Swift because basically every song on 1989 makes me think of Spencer and Toby.

Oh, and I just decided to make Holbrook A. I'm convinced it's not going to actually turn out that way but I didn't want to go into some needless explanation about what So-and-So's motive would be and how it would be possible.

**Disclaimer**: I'm just a fan who doesn't own Pretty Little Liars or this song.

* * *

_Lights flash and we'll run for the fences_

_Let them say what they want, we won't hear it_

_Loose lips sink ships all the damn time_

_Not this time_

_Just grab my hand and don't ever drop it_

_My love_

_They are the hunters, we are the foxes_

_And we run_

* * *

It's not unusual for her to show up at his loft even at odd hours of the night, but she'd been one of the last things he'd been expecting when there was a knock at his door after midnight. They were on good terms again but their relationship had been shaky for the past couple months. Not to mention it was pouring rain and pitch black outside, not exactly the type of conditions you'd want to be outside in.

When he opened the door she was shaking in her boots – literally. "Spence," He said, taking in his soaking wet girlfriend. "Is everything okay?"

"Can I come inside?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"Yeah, of course." He said. Spencer didn't smile as she brushed past him and entered the loft, her arms wrapped around her torso.

"I'm sorry I interrupted you like this. You were probably asleep."

"Actually I wasn't," Toby answered. "I had a night shift at the station and I just got home. Not that it matters anyway – you're more important than sleep. Do you want some tea? A blanket?"

Spencer shook her head. "No thanks. I'm fine." She lowered herself onto his couch and he could see a wet imprint begin to form under her rain-soaked body.

Toby gave her a look. "Spence, you showed up at my house in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. You wouldn't be here if you were fine."

"Can't a girl just miss her boyfriend and get caught in a storm on her way to his place?" She asked, but as Toby sank down next to her it was clear this wasn't what had happened.

"You're not okay." He stated, reaching out to brush some hair behind her ear. She shivered under his touch. "Is this…is this about what I said a couple months ago? Because I was wrong, Spence. You can tell me anything, no matter how bad it is."

Spencer shook her head fervently. "No, I can't tell you. I did something Toby – something really bad."

"It's probably not as bad as you think –"

"No, it is!" Spencer insisted, her voice rising. "It was the worst thing I've ever done, worse than The Jenna Thing!"

"Okay, now you're really scaring me," Toby said. "Spencer, please tell me what happened."

A deafening silence settled between them. Spencer looked down for a long moment and when she lifted her head again Toby saw that she was crying. "Holbrook's dead," She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "And I…I think I may have killed him."

* * *

Toby found himself unable to sleep for the rest of the night. Instead he parked himself in front of his computer, constantly Googling and looking through every book he had left over from when he was in the police academy. Before he knew it, it was six am. He looked over his shoulder, spotting his girlfriend curled up in his bed. It had taken hours to get her to finally fall asleep and it looked like even slumber offered her little solace from the way she was gripping the edge of the bed, her limbs tangled up in the blankets.

Their conversation earlier was still fresh in Toby's mind – his first reaction had been shock. "What do you mean you killed him?" He'd said, raising his voice more than he'd intended to. How could Spencer – _his Spencer_ – have hurt another human being? She'd once called him because she and the girls saw a spider and she needed him to drive to her house and kill it!

For the next hour Spencer explained every single painstaking detail – how she'd found out that Holbrook was A because he got Ali pregnant that summer and thought they knew. She said she had been stupid enough to go meet him alone away from town, her fury clouding her judgment. When she'd confronted him, he'd lunged for her and she saw that he had a gun. In the heat of the moment she'd given him a good shove and sent him tumbling backwards, dangling dangerously over a precipice. Spencer was silent for a long moment as she recalled the words Holbrook had spoken to her as he tried to hang on – that he would never hurt her or her friends again if she just pulled him up. But she'd known it was just an empty promise. What was stopping him from shooting her as soon as he was back on solid ground, or from taking her down with him and then they'd both be dead? And so she let him fall.

"He just kept screaming the entire way down," Spencer recalled, unable to meet Toby's gaze. "And then there was this…this snap. And suddenly he wasn't screaming anymore. That's when I knew. That's when I knew he was dead."

When she'd finished she looked up, finding him stunned into silence. The tears continued to pour freely down her face. "Oh my God, you hate me. You hate me, don't you?" She buried her face into her hands, her whole body shaking. "I'm a terrible person!"

These words had changed his whole demeanor. "Spence, no. Baby, I could never hate you..."

Spencer had looked up, sniffling. "Even after this?"

He'd pressed a shaky kiss to her temple. "Even after this."

Now, Toby shook his head and tried to get his mind off of Spencer's confession. He reached for the remote and flicked on the TV, turning the volume down low so Spencer wouldn't wake up. Unfortunately, the morning news did not help get his mind off of the subject. "Our top story this morning," said the news anchor. "Detective Gabriel Holbrook has been found dead. Holbrook was a state police officer assigned to Rosewood for the murder case of a fellow officer, Darren Wilden. Whether or not the same perpetrator committed this crime is unknown, however foul play is a possibility at this time –"

Toby flicked the TV off, a sick feeling in his stomach. He had absolutely no idea what to do. As an officer he had a duty to tell the truth, but he couldn't betray Spencer – he could never. If this got out, she was looking at manslaughter, possibly murder, and he could go down for accessory after the fact, or worse. It wasn't supposed to be like this – she still had a week until she graduated high school, their whole lives were ahead of them. They couldn't lose that for a man like Holbrook. He knew Spencer had genuinely feared for her life – but that didn't mean a jury would agree. He continued to scroll through his search result, trying to find any loophole in the law. That's when he saw the words: _spousal privilege_.

No – he couldn't possibly. Spencer deserved so much more. Yes she had agreed to take a gap year before college – if she even ended up going at all – but that didn't mean she was ready to settle down. She wanted to see the world, find herself, live a little. And when they got married it should be because she was as ready as he was, not because they needed to save their asses.

"Toby?" Spencer's voice said sleepily. Toby turned around and tried to smile at her, but she must've seen straight through him because Spencer's face fell instantly. "…They found his body, didn't they?"

Toby didn't know how she'd figured it out so quickly, but he knew there was no way he could lie to her now. "Yeah, they did."

He heard Spencer let out a low sigh as she climbed out of bed. "God, what are we going to do?" He rose and opened his arms for her, letting her collapse into his embrace. For a moment he just held her because he didn't know what else to do. Then, Spencer spoke up again. "What's that?"

That's when he realized he hadn't closed the tab. "It's nothing –" But it was too late, she'd already seen it.

"Spousal privilege," Spencer read. She backed up and sat down on the edge of the bed, as if this was all too much for her to take in. "Toby…"

"Look Spence, I was just trying to find a way to help you. I know you're not ready for anything like that. I'll figure something else out…"

"What if I want to do it?" Spencer interjected.

Toby looked up – that was not the reaction he was expecting. "You want to get married for spousal privilege?"

Spencer shrugged. "I was thinking about it all last night…I know this isn't how we planned it, but I want to marry you. I've had so much time to think about us lately and I realized something – I've always done what other people want me to do. All my plans for the future were based around what I was supposed to want – but all I really want is to be with you, however that may be. What's so wrong with us starting our lives together a little early?"

He looked at her incredulously, part of him still wondering if he'd heard her right. "You really want to do this?"

She nodded. "I do. I really, really do."

That's all it took and for the first time since she showed up at his door last night a real, honest to God smile crossed his face. He reached into his sock drawer and pulled out the little velvet box he'd left there for safe-keeping. "This was my mother's," Toby explained. "And I think…I think she'd approve of you having it." The box was popped open, revealing a cushion cut diamond, and Spencer's breath hitched. Watching her boyfriend get down on his knee before her, she almost wanted someone to pinch her so she'd know it wasn't all a dream. "Spencer, you are the best thing that ever came into my life and I want to be by your side no matter what. Will you marry me?"

The first tear fell from her eye as she answered him. "Yes, yes of course."

* * *

They decided to go to Ohio because there's no waiting period for a marriage license there and they could be man and wife before the day was out. He packed a bag and then they left the loft to stop at her house so she could get her own stuff together and change – it was Friday morning so her parents weren't home, but she didn't have school because all the seniors had finished their final exams and classes were out until graduation. Spencer stood in front of her closet for a good thirty minutes, eyeing the contents critically. She was getting ready for her _wedding_, she had to look perfect.

Finally she exited her room, finding Toby waiting in the hallway for her and in a change of clothes himself. She had opted for a white sundress and he grinned when he saw her. "You look beautiful," He said and she made time to kiss him before they continued on their way.

The drive from Rosewood to Ohio took five and a half hours, not including the stops they made at gas stations and to buy vintage wedding bands from a shop in Pittsburgh. Finally after a long ride they arrived at a little town just off the Pennsylvania-Ohio border and by then it was four in the afternoon. They spent the next hour waiting in line for their marriage license and by seven they were meeting the justice of the peace.

Suddenly it was all so incredibly real and as Spencer stood there, her hands in Toby's and the man who would be marrying them beginning his typical spiel, she felt overcome by emotion. It had been such a rollercoaster – the anger she'd felt when she confronted Holbrook, the fear that had followed as she sought comfort in Toby's loft, and then the overwhelming joy that had snuck up on her unexpectantly when he'd promised to stay by her side always.

"Alright," The justice of the peace said, breaking her out of her trance. "If you'd like to speak some vows before the exchanging of the rings, now would be the time." He looked to Toby, indicating he should go first.

"Spencer," Toby began, and she could tell it took everything in him not to cry. "I know this probably isn't how you pictured it – getting married in a courthouse in Ohio. It's definitely not how I imagined it. But never did I ever imagine that I'd fall in love with you either and I am so glad that I did. All I want is to be by your side, no matter what happens. It's just you and me, for better or for worse, forever. And I for one can't wait."

She watched as the ring was slid onto her finger, mesmerized. "Toby," Spencer said, her voice shaking as she began her own vows. "We have survived so much together. You've seen parts of me that no one else has ever seen – you've seen me broken down, devastated, vulnerable, raw, when my entire life I've always been taught to never let anyone in. I feel like I can be myself with you and that no matter what happens, at least I know I'll always have you. I love you so much." The ring fit perfectly on his finger, like it belonged there.

The justice of the peace smiled. "Well then, it is my honor to pronounce you legally married. You may –" They didn't allow him to finish, instead surging forward and connecting their lips.

So far no kiss has ever been able to top that one.

* * *

A couple hours later they were lying in a motel room together, nestled under the sheets and in blissful silence. It wasn't The Four Seasons, but to Spencer it was symbolic – their relationship had ignited in a motel room and they'd gone to one when they reunited after Radley. Lying in this bed with his arms around her was better than any five star hotel.

"What are we going to do when we go back to Rosewood?" Spencer found herself asking, her voice almost timid. "What if they start asking questions? I don't have an alibi…"

"We'll say we left Rosewood last night," Toby replied, toying with a strand of her hair. "Just two crazy kids anxious to tie the knot. And then…then we'll go from there I guess."

She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "God we have a lot of explaining to do, don't we? Our parents are going to _freak_."

Toby smiled and kissed her forehead. "Maybe we should tell the girls first, then?" She was going to tell him it sounded like a plan, but suddenly she felt tears pool in the corners of her eyes. "Hey, are you okay?" Toby asked, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Are you upset? Do you have any regrets?"

Spencer shook her head. "Holbrook didn't leave me any other choice, and I could never regret you. It's just…wow, I'm your _wife_."

He ducked his head down and kissed her. "And I'm your husband." He murmured softly against her lips.

Eventually they were going to have to leave this motel room, to face the real world. There were going to be people who didn't understand why they did what they did – maybe even be mad at them for it – and she was going to have to live with what had happened to Holbrook from now on. But at least they had each other and she knew for certain it was always going to be the two of them – no matter what. They had a whole life ahead that no one could take away from them and never again would she ever have to fear telling him the complete truth.

Spencer wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm glad I married you." She mused.

Toby smiled at her. "I wanted to say that first."

* * *

_Baby, I know places we won't be found _

_And they'll be chasing their tails tryin' to track us down_

_Cause I, I know places we can hide_

_I know places_

_They are the hunters, we are the foxes_

_And we run_

_Just grab my hand and don't ever drop it_

_My love_


End file.
